Bike Ride To Benefit Group

October 14, 2011

ST. MARYS — Bicycle enthusiasts can converge on St. Marys on Saturday to raise money for a nonprofit that benefits the developmentally disabled.

Area families can participate in the Good for Business Canals Locks and Bagels 2011 Family Fun Ride, a second-ever family bike ride.

“The nonprofit Good for Business started three years ago when funding for people with disabilities was cut so drastically, we wanted to find a way to develop alternate sources for people with disabilities to find jobs,” Good for Business Director Karen Blumhorst said.

She noted some members of the active area bike club, the Revolution Cycling Team, have children with disabilities.

“Mike Lynch, of St. Marys, originally thought of the idea,” Blumhorst said. “This will be the second year we’ve done it.”

The bike ride, she added, is also a way to recognize Larry Shelby, who passed away in 2009.

“We wanted some way to honor Larry and Ronda Shelby,” Blumhorst said. “Larry was so instrumental in starting the bike path.”

Stan Davis is the project chair for the ride, and Ronda Shelby was named honorary co-chair, Blumhorst noted.

“Ronda was so generous — she’s donating $100 to whoever brings the biggest family to participate in the ride,” Blumhorst said.

Registration will be from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the gazebo in Memorial Park, with trails opening at 8 a.m. Food and entertainment begins at 11 a.m., with activities ending at 1 p.m.

“There will be all kinds of food and refreshments available,” Blumhorst said.

The local Aktion Club will be selling coffee and bagels before the family fun ride, and they will be serving free water and yogurt after the ride compliments of Grand Lake Health System and the Dannon Company.

Blumhorst noted for the first year of the bike ride, the route consisted of two 12-mile loops, totaling a 25-mile bike ride.

“A lot of the club members are experienced riders, so 25 miles is not a problem for them, we’ve made it two, 25-mile loops, so they have a 50-mile course,” Blumhorst said. “It starts and ends at Memorial Park.”

She noted organizers were out marking the trails Thursday in preparation for the event.

“The people from the Revolution Cycling Team will be out all day,” she said. “They will also have a SAG wagon — a car that goes around, and if somebody has a flat tire or something helps them, they can help them get on their way.”

Registration to participate in the bike ride is $25, with children 10 and under riding for free, with all the proceeds going to Good for Business.

“It’s an all-volunteer group,” Blumhorst said of Good for Business. “It’s a 501(c)3 incorporated nonprofit, and all the money will be used to help people with disabilities find and keep jobs. Unemployment for people with disabilities is at 85 percent — compared to 9 percent for the county. It’s a big issue across the United States.”